The NBA career of Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell has been tumultuous at times. He hasn’t quite recaptured the success he had with the Brooklyn Nets in his fourth season in the league when he led the team to the postseason and was named an NBA All-Star.
He has changed teams regularly, as he has been traded four times already in his career. But, in his second go-round with the Lakers, he looks to have finally found his footing and a role that accentuates his skill set and strengths.
After some early season lineup and role shuffling, Russell has settled in as one of the starting guards. The results have been magnificent, as he is embracing his role as a floor spacer and playmaker offensively.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: D’Angelo Russell, Nick Van Exel, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The 2023-24 campaign has been arguably the best in Russell’s career. While he has had individual seasons with higher counting stats, his efficiency has been through the roof this season and he is playing better defense.
Russell is connecting on a career-high 42.4 percent of his 3-point attempts, which has enabled him to make some franchise history. On Monday against the Atlanta Hawks, Russell went 6-for-10 from 3-point range, giving him 183 makes on the season. That tied him with Nick Van Exel for the most 3-pointers in a single season in Lakers franchise history.
“He has a green room,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said of Russell. “Not a green light. A green room.”
That is something every shooter dreams of hearing from their coach. Ham has confidence in Russell letting it fly, which has to give him a ton of confidence on the court knowing the coaching staff believes in him to get the job done.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: D’Angelo Russell, Nick Van Exel, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
“I mean, I just appreciate him trusting me to that extent,” Russell said of Ham. “Definitely try to feel like I earned something like that and it wasn’t given. So, to know that that’s something I put the work in to do and put the work and continue to do, it seems normal for me, humbly.”
Russell has been one of the most efficient shooters in the NBA this season, as he ranks 11th in the league. He is going to topple the longest-standing 3-point single-season record, as Van Exel’s mark has stood since the 1994-95 season.
“It’s really cool, honestly, just to know that, to get credit for it,” Russell said. “It’s just really cool. I said I don’t want to underdo it, understate it, overdo it. I just feel like it’s really cool to just be a part of something like that. I think I did something like that in Brooklyn, as well. Just to get credit for your game and what you work through and showcase it every night.”
This will be the second 3-point record that Russell will hold for an NBA team. He also set the Nets’ record during the 2018-19 campaign, when he made his first and only All-Star team to this point.
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